Jeff Thompson, a 60-year-old father and grandfather, was remembered by his neighbors as a kind, funny, and generous man. One neighbor described him as "incredibly nice" and "non-confrontational," recalling how he was always getting things for his grandchildren and would generously take people on trips. He lived in a home on a residential street in Gresham, Oregon, a city on the eastern edge of Portland.
Though neighbors appreciated his good nature, some also expressed concerns about the company he kept and noted that police had been called to his house on multiple occasions prior to his death.
On the morning of Thursday, September 24, 2026, Gresham Police officers were dispatched to Jeff Thompson's home in the 17900 block of Southeast Market Street to conduct a welfare check. The call came after a neighbor heard a loud noise they thought might have been a gunshot, followed by arguing, around 4 a.m. Inside the residence, officers made a grim discovery: Thompson was deceased, having been shot to death. The East County Major Crimes Team was activated, and a homicide investigation began immediately.
Detectives quickly identified a suspect, 39-year-old Eddie Brandon Todd Campbell of Portland, and determined that he had taken Thompson's vehicle after the shooting. The investigation moved swiftly thanks to a combination of modern technology and traditional police work. Investigators utilized public safety cameras recently installed in nearby Vance Park and data from an automatic license plate reader system to track the stolen vehicle. Within hours, the vehicle was detected near a motel in the vicinity of Southeast Pine Street and 99th Avenue in Portland.
The Gresham Police Department requested assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force to apprehend Campbell. At approximately 1:45 p.m., as law enforcement officers closed in near the Chestnut Tree Inn, Campbell attempted to flee on foot. During his escape, he tried to carjack a woman, but she managed to accelerate and get away. A multi-agency pursuit ensued, involving officers from the Portland Police Bureau, the U.S. Marshals, and the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
The chase ended in a motel parking lot where officers released a Portland police K-9 named Kylo to subdue Campbell. As Kylo pulled Campbell to the ground, officers saw that Campbell was holding a small pistol. They commanded him to drop the weapon, but he did not comply. Four officers fired a total of 13 rounds, striking and killing Campbell at the scene. He did not fire his weapon. Tragically, K-9 Kylo was also struck by police gunfire during the encounter. The German Shepherd, who was scheduled to retire after that very shift, was rushed to a veterinary hospital where he was euthanized due to the severity of his injuries.
The investigation into Thompson's murder was led by the Gresham Police Department, while the Portland Police Bureau investigated the officer-involved shooting. Investigators recovered a .22-caliber handgun near Campbell's body. Ballistics testing later confirmed it was the same weapon used to kill Jeff Thompson. Body-camera footage of the fatal confrontation was released to the public on October 8, 2026. Later that month, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office announced that the officers involved were justified in their use of deadly force and would not face criminal charges.
As of October 2026, the case is considered closed as the primary suspect is deceased. It remains unclear what the relationship was between Jeff Thompson and Eddie Campbell or what the motive for the murder was. The Gresham Police Department asked anyone with information regarding the homicide to call their tip line at 503-618-2719.
